"And if I did, what then?
Are you aggriev'd therefore?
The sea hath fish for every man,
And what would you have more?"
Thus did my mistress once,
Amaze my mind with doubt;
And popp'd a question for the nonce
To beat my brains about.
Whereto I thus replied:
"Each fisherman can wish
That all the seas at every tide
Were his alone to fish.
"And so did I (in vain)
But since it may not be,
Let such fish there as find the gain,
And leave the loss for me.
"And with such luck and loss
I will content myself,
Till tides of turning time may toss
Such fishers on the shelf.
"And when they stick on sands,
That every man may see,
Then will I laugh and clap my hands,
As they do now at me."
Leave a guest comment (subject to review)
Comments
-
neutral
I love this man's work, his refreshing cynicism and his wit. a real gem, this, as good as his more famous Lullaby
Iain aka Morgan -
'There are many other pebbles on the beach' is an old soothing
counsel to a disappointed lover. Interesting to find George Gascoigne using a maritime metaphor to express the same idea.
Was it autobiographical when he wrote 'The Adventures of Master F.J.' Of course he was a sailor and captain of a Dutch naval ship, so the sea would be a natural setting for his poesy. His poem runs smoothly with pleasant rhythm.
Adding your comment:
